From the Source // March 2011
A belated Happy New Year to all! It seems like only yesterday we were putting the wraps on 2010, celebrating another year of success for the Partnership for a Sustainable Georgia. Today, we find ourselves having survived January’s “snowmageddon” and the seemingly endless series of winter storm advisories that warn of the “wintry mix” that brings Atlanta traffic to a careening halt.
This New Year brings with it a new administration for Georgia. We welcome Governor Nathan Deal and all the freshman legislators to the State Capitol and look forward to their leadership in meeting the many formidable challenges we face, including the state budget crisis that continues to loom as the largest in many decades. We also welcome Commissioner Mark Williams to the helm of the Department of Natural Resources, along with several new members of the Board of Natural Resources, and look forward to their leadership in championing our work in resource conservation and environmental stewardship for all Georgia.
With this issue of our e-newsletter, we launch the Sustainability Division’s new and improved website. We hope you visit it soon and take some time to browse through it. It has a much-needed new look and feel and lots of new content.
Included in the new content is our latest biennial report. Under our statutory charter, we’re required to report regularly on the division’s operations and activities. Our Biennial Report: FY2007 – FY2010 details the progress we’ve made in focusing our goals and programs over the past few years and the results we’ve attained in helping Georgia businesses conserve resources and save money. We presented this report to the Office of Planning and Budget late last summer for their consideration during budget deliberations. We will also present it to the Sustainability Committee of the Board of Natural Resources at their February meeting.
For those who followed the demise of EPA’s National Environmental Performance Track, the federal program on which the Partnership for a Sustainable Georgia was loosely modeled, we share exciting news this month – the launch of the Stewardship Action Council (SAC). Our division is an Alliance Member of this new national organization that seeks to bring together industry, academia, the investment community, and governmental and non-governmental organizations to collaborate on sustainability. SAC’s goals align closely with our Partnership’s – creating a learning network, and encouraging and recognizing improved environmental performance – and it’s tiered structure welcomes organizations at all levels and sizes. We encourage our Partners to explore participation at www.stewardshipaction.org.
That’s all for now. Thanks for all you do to advance sustainability in Georgia. If there’s anything we can do to help, please let us know.
Best regards,
Marlin
